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Animals come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.
动物有各种形状和大小。
Some are big and furry, others can be small and slimy...
有的巨大多毛，有的娇小黏滑...
And some even have a full suit of armor!
有些甚至还有一套完整的盔甲！
Like our friend Gaia, the armadillo.
就和我们的朋友犰狳盖亚一样。
Armadillos look a little like a mouse or a rabbit, but there's something that makes them really special:
犰狳看起来有点儿像老鼠或兔子，但有些东西让它们很特别：
they're covered in hard, bony armor on their backs, heads, and sometimes their tails!
它们的背部、头部甚至是尾巴都覆盖着坚硬的骨甲！
You're right! Armadillos do look really cool, Squeaks.
吱吱，你说得对！犰狳看起来很酷！
And their armor is more than just cool-looking.
它们的盔甲不仅仅是为了美观，
It also has an important job: protecting the armadillo from anything that might want to eat it, what we call predators.
它也有重要的工作：保护犰狳不被捕食者吃掉。
There are over twenty species, or types of armadillo,
犰狳有20多个种类，
which live in different parts of South America, Central America, and some places in North America.
它们住在南美洲、中美洲和北美洲一些地区的不同区域。
Some species of armadillo are huge, like this giant armadillo.
有些种类的犰狳很大，就像这种巨型犰狳。
It can be around a meter, or three feet long.
它大约有一米或三英尺长。
That's about as long as a three-year-old human is tall!
长度大约是三岁儿童的高度。
Other armadillos, like the pink fairy armadillo, are tiny.
其他的犰狳很娇小，比如这个粉色的小犰狳。
They're about 10 centimeters, or 4 inches long.
它们大约10厘米或4英寸长。
They're so small that I could fit one in the palm of my hand, and yes, their armor is pink!
它们非常小，和我的手掌一样大，当然，它们的盔甲是粉色的！
Gaia is a southern three-banded armadillo, which are a little bigger:
盖亚是南方的三带犰狳，它更大一些：
about 25 centimeters, or 10 inches, around as long as a piece of paper.
大约25厘米或10英寸长，大约是一张纸的长度。
But even though there are lots of different kinds of armadillos, they all have a few things in common.
即使犰狳有很多不同的种类，但它们有一些共同点。
First, they all have their bony armor to keep them safe.
首先，它们都有骨甲来保证自己的安全。
Things like skin and fur are pretty soft,
皮肤和毛都非常柔软，
so a lot of small animals can be in big trouble if predators that want to eat them get too close.
所以许多小动物一旦靠近想吃它们的捕食者，就会陷入大麻烦。
That's why they tend to run away and hide.
这就是它们试图逃跑和躲藏的原因。
But armadillos have an added layer of protection to keep themselves safe.
但犰狳有一个保护层来保证安全。
That's right, Squeaks, they have their special armor.
吱吱，你说对了，它们有特别的盔甲。
Armadillos' backs are covered in thick plates of bone, with a layer of tough, small scales on the outside.
犰狳的后背覆盖着厚厚的骨盘，在外面有一层坚硬的小鳞甲。
The scales are made of the same stuff that makes up our fingernails!
这些鳞甲的构成和我们指甲的物质相同。
And these scales have a fun name: they're called scutes!
它们有一个有趣的名字，叫做盾板！
With all those scutes covering them, armadillos kind of look like little knights wearing suits of armor.
有了这些盾板，犰狳看起来就像穿着盔甲的小骑士。
That armor acts like a shield, keeping the the armadillo's soft underside safe if a predator tries to bite it.
那盔甲就像盾牌，当捕食者试图撕咬犰狳时，能保证它柔软下侧的安全。
Three-banded armadillos like Gaia can even curl all the way up into a little armored ball!
盖亚这样的三带犰狳全身甚至可以卷成一个小甲球！
That would be pretty hard to bite!
它很难被咬！
Another thing all armadillos do is sleep underground,
另一个共同点是所有的犰狳都睡在地下，
because it keeps them cooler when it's hot out, and because it's safer.
因为外面热时，地下可以让它们保持凉爽，也安全。
Even for an animal with awesome armor, it isn't always safe to sleep out in the open.
即使动物有不错的盔甲，在外面露天睡觉也不总是安全的。
If an armadillo is asleep, it might not notice a predator sneaking up on it.
如果一只犰狳在睡觉，它可能注意不到一个捕食者偷偷爬上了它。
So, armadillos sleep in underground in a home called a burrow.
所以，犰狳睡在地下一个叫做洞穴的家里。
Some armadillos use burrows made by other animals, while some make their own.
有些犰狳使用其他动物做的洞，有些则自己做。
To make a burrow, they use their big front claws to dig through the dirt,
为了挖洞，它们用大前爪挖土，
creating a long tunnel that leads down to a bigger room.
建造一个通向更大房间的长隧道。
Some armadillos will also make extra tunnels leading out of the burrow,
一些犰狳也会在洞穴中挖出额外的隧道，
so they have lots of choices for how to get in and out.
这样它们进出就有很多选择了。
Armadillos spend a lot of time working on their burrow,
犰狳花大量的时间建造洞穴，
because they need them to be a great space for safe sleeping.
因为它们需要一个大空间来安眠。
And they need to sleep a lot, up to 16 hours a day!
它们睡得很长，每天睡16个小时！
Once they've gotten enough rest, armadillos crawl back up above the ground,
犰狳一旦获得了充足的睡眠，就会爬回地面，
then dig around eating plants, bugs, and all sorts of tasty foods perfect for a little armored friend.
然后到处寻找植物、虫子和各种美味的食物来吃，这些食物都适合有盔甲的小朋友。
So, armadillos like Gaia are pretty well-prepared for whatever comes their way.
所以，盖亚这样的犰狳无论遇到什么都准备充足。
Their armor and burrows help them stay safe in a big world.
它们的盔甲和洞穴帮助它们在大世界里保持安全。
If you were an armadillo, what kind of armor would you have?
如果你是犰狳，你会有什么样的盔甲？
And what other animals do you want to learn more about?
你还想了解其他动物吗？
Have a grown-up help you leave a comment down below, or send us an email to kids@scishow.com.
让大人帮忙在下方留言，或发邮件至kids@scishow.com。
Thanks, and we'll see you next time, here at the fort!
感谢您的收看，我们下期见，沃斯堡等你哦！
